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After a busy hour, they finally had a rough direction regarding the handling of supplies and prisoners. The supplies could not be distributed for now; both sides would first complete an inventory and store everything in the warehouse while awaiting a final decision. As for the prisoners, Ming Junwei and the others handed the choice back to them.
The Roundabout group did not intend to accept any prisoners. There were already too many women left behind at their base, and while consuming resources was one concern, Ming Junwei was also wary of taking risks. This ticking time bomb was best avoided. Wu Wentao shared this sentiment; he was now somewhat settled in Roundabout, with both groups sharing their daily lives. Bringing back a bunch of people would complicate security issues and would only add trouble for himself.
Yang Chun Yue was somewhat surprised. He had initially thought these two seemingly unscrupulous men would take on everything. Although he was reluctant to admit it, the world was indeed like this now—those with power called the shots. The weaker side, especially women, could easily become resources to be exploited by the stronger party. Ming Junwei's armed forces were clearly formidable, including several burly foreigners. From his impression, such thugs were usually more interested in drinking, eating meat, and killing than anything else, yet they had chosen to refuse.
"We can take in some," Dapeng said, being the only male among the trio. Unfortunately, his approach was too timid as he stealthily moved closer to Yang Chun Yue and added, "Select some skilled ones to help with logistics."
"That works. You can talk to them; if they agree, great; if not, just leave it." Yang Chun Yue calculated the numbers. Even if they accepted everyone, their camp could handle it without issue. However, having too many people would inevitably lead to complications, especially since their group had directly or indirectly destroyed the other side's stronghold. It was uncertain whether the other party would harbor ill feelings about that. The main reason for agreeing to accept some was that their camp's geographical location provided certain advantages; as long as they were within control range, there was little fear of them causing trouble.
"Are you really not considering it?" Yang Chun Yue probed again.
Ming Junwei shook his head and replied, "We can't take care of them all. They've been in the mountains for so long; they should have basic self-defense skills by now. We can leave them some supplies."
Yang Chun Yue pouted but said nothing further. If they preferred to distribute some supplies rather than accept personnel, there was nothing more to discuss. She wasn't a saint; she had done what she could and didn't need to be generous at others' expense.
"When will your people arrive?" Wu Wentao's subordinates returned murmuring about some issues.
"Soon, I suppose. There are no roads in these mountains; it might have delayed them," Yang Chun Yue estimated. There shouldn't be any large-scale Horde in the forest now, and the Bald Gang had been thoroughly dispersed; they were likely making their way over.
Wu Wentao frowned and pointed toward the foot of the mountain. "The fire has already spread into the woods, and zombies from the highway are closing in; we need to find another way out."
"Do you have any transportation?" Ming Junwei pondered for a moment before looking at Yang Chun Yue.
"Huh?"
"A vehicle or something else," Ming Junwei gestured toward the warehouse. "With so many supplies here, relying on manpower to move everything down isn't feasible."
"We can temporarily seal it," Yang Chun Yue chose not to answer Ming Junwei's question directly and replied coolly, "The warehouse isn't going anywhere; we can come back when we're better prepared."
"Heh, I doubt we have that much time," Ming Junwei said dismissively as he walked into the warehouse and called out Liu Yan and Song Yao.
"What’s going on inside?" Ming Junwei asked.
"Almost done. What we mean is, let’s first send my brother and the injured back. This batch of supplies is difficult to transport, so we need to find a vehicle. Besides, we’re closer to the power plant now. Should we handle this together or come back next time?" Song Yao sighed. Her brother was in bad shape, and she wanted to accompany him back, but Ming Junwei needed someone by his side. Weighing her options, she decided to let Luo Yu go back first.
"Let’s split up," Ming Junwei said, having pondered this matter earlier. After discussing it with Wu Wentao, he continued, "Liu Yan can take a few people to find a way down the mountain and figure out how to get a vehicle to bring back the supplies and the injured. We don’t need too many people at the power station; Old Wu and I can manage."
"I can go myself," Wu Wentao said as he lit a cigarette. "You’ve all pulled everyone out, and the equipment needed for the lab will be delayed. It’s better if we each stick to our roles."
"That works. There shouldn’t be any major issues at the power station," Luci said after finishing her inventory work, dust covering her body. With a hint of surprise in her expression, she added softly, "There’s quite a bit of food here; even if we split it in half, it should last Roundabout for nearly half a year."
"I say we take it all at once," Chu Guangxu remarked, still the radical one. Seeing Yang Chun Yue and others return to the cave without knowing what they were busy with, he grinned maliciously and said, "While their people aren’t here, let’s not hesitate."
"Better to avoid unnecessary trouble," Wu Wentao waved his hand to dismiss his subordinate's suggestion. He was still thinking about that Sea Chart matter; at least until he met their leader, he couldn’t afford to lose face.
Seeing that the discussion was wrapping up, Liu Yan spoke up, "Then I’ll take people down first. You all be careful; the mountain fire won’t flare up immediately, but who knows about the Zombies."
"Alright, stay safe."
"Wait."
Ming Junwei and the others turned around to see Song Jiu stepping out of the cave in a blood-stained coat, followed by Luo Yu and Old Lin.
" Jiu Jiu," Ming Junwei raised an eyebrow, signaling Liu Yan to hold on for a moment. Noticing Song Jiu's calm expression, he asked, "What’s up?"
"No need to find a vehicle," Song Jiu took a deep breath and said. "They have horses; we can use them to get back. We’ve checked all the gas stations we could find on our way here; we can’t drive."
Wu Wentao paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Almost forgot about that. Where are the horses?"
"I'll take care of it; you all just hurry up and discuss how to split things." Song Jiu said something to Old Lin, who nodded in response before quickly running back into the cave. Before long, he emerged dragging a visibly frustrated Big Peony.
Jiao Ziqian, resting off to the side, wanted to join them but felt too weak. The gunshot wound hadn’t taken his life but recovering quickly was impossible at this moment.
" Brother Jiu, I'm going with you," Liu Yan hurriedly stepped forward.
"No need, you all wait here. I'll take Luo Yu and Old Lin with me. Keep an eye on Ziqian," Song Jiu said, patting Liu Yan's shoulder. With a wave of his hand, he led a few people down the mountain path.
"Should we send someone to follow?" Luci asked, feeling a bit uneasy. Song Jiu had just been barely hanging on; if something went wrong again, it wouldn't be good.
Ming Junwei squinted at the retreating figures, fell silent for a moment, then gently shook his head.
Wu Wentao was already getting impatient. He urged them several times and even shot off a couple of signal flares as a friendly reminder. He wanted to meet the other party's leader, but he was also pressed for time. Ming Junwei had brought all the combat personnel from their base over, and Roundabout was currently vulnerable. While they had dealt with Red Mother here, there were still lurking threats from e. It was better to be safe than sorry; if the Blonde Woman attacked Roundabout at this moment, it would be a disastrous loss.
Yang Chun Yue felt exasperated by his urging. She couldn't do much either; the mountains were vast, and who knew where the others were? It was uncertain whether they could see the signal flares in broad daylight. She wasn't worried; the Zombies and forest fires below posed no immediate threat. Even if they breached halfway up the mountain, they could simply close the gates and retreat to the cave, where they had food and drink along with Dark River. They could wait a while before exiting through the same cave that Song Jiu had used.
After everyone calculated their options and patiently waited for half an hour, several figures finally appeared in the forest outside the cave.
"Our people are here." Ying Dou Dou, who had been sitting outside with Jiao Ziqian, was the first to spot them. Her face lit up with joy but quickly fell again.
Jiao Ziqian was bound like a mummy; while his wounds could heal naturally, his bloodied appearance was quite disturbing. His mind was in chaos at this moment, and upon hearing Ying Dou Dou's words, his expression turned somewhat strange.
"Ming Ge, they're here," Jiao Ziqian called out into the cave.
A crowd rushed out, with Militia Ghosts on high alert, guns pointed straight into the dense forest. The figures in the woods showed no signs of backing down; although they hadn't revealed themselves yet, the sounds of guns being loaded and blades being drawn were clear responses.
"Chun Yue," a clear female voice called from within the trees.
"It's me." Yang Chun Yue quickly stepped forward a few paces and waved her hand. "Sister Fei, over here!"
"Who are they?" came the question from across.
"It's a long story; they're not enemies," Yang Chun Yue replied as she organized her thoughts to avoid any misunderstandings. She raised her voice to ensure everyone heard: "Everyone stay calm; they're not enemies."
Jiao Ziqian chuckled dryly and tilted his head. "Doesn't it look like we're leading traitors?"
"Go to hell." Ying Dou Dou said, somewhat displeased, as she stood up and walked over with Dapeng.
"Have them lower their guns." The people in the forest did not relax their vigilance at Yang Chun Yue's words; instead, they grew more wary.
Yang Chun Yue felt a bit awkward and turned to look at Ming Junwei and Wu Wentao.
"Alright, you all can put away your weapons too," Ming Junwei replied calmly.
However, the other side seemed dissatisfied with this suggestion. The woman who spoke was quite assertive and said loudly, "Who are you?"
"Just like you," Ming Junwei waved his hand, signaling the militia to lower their weapons a bit as he stepped forward. "Are you in charge? We need to talk."
"No need," the woman flatly rejected Ming Junwei's request. "Since we're not enemies, please leave. We have our own matters to attend to."
"Damn, this woman is pretty tough," Chu Guangxu raised an eyebrow, looking disdainful as he cursed, "She really thinks she's something special."
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